An Adaptive Single-Hop Medium Access Control Layer For Noisy Channels

Abstract

The work presented in this dissertation is for a contribution to the data link layer and its responsibility of managing the physical channel in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET). Wireless networks in general are susceptible to noise in the spectrum, which can result in low throughput, loss of critical resources, and high re-transmission rates at the physical and link layers. As a result, there is a growing need for wireless technology that can continue to operate in the presence of noise. A mathematical algorithm has recently been developed which uses concurrent and super-imposed codes, which when applied to wireless communications allows for jam-resistant communications without a pre-shared secret. By leveraging this algorithm, the research for this dissertation will create a jam-resistant single-hop medium access control (MAC) protocol that adapts to the level of noise in the channel. The protocol will dynamically adjust the parameters for encoding to overcome the varying levels of interference. The new protocol will allow for communications to continue in the presence of noise or jamming attacks.